My live-in gardener is constantly trying to rid our lawn of the dandelion.
This little ray of sunshine I see in many neighbors lawns.
Really, it is my favorite color; so why are people trying to get rid of them?
They are cheerful and they shine.
Did you know you can eat them?
I am told that the leaves, either raw or cooked, are good for digestion.
The flowers cooked in food, wine, or a jelly are good for the liver and a hormone balancer.
The roots can be used for a vegetable or you can dry, grind, and use as a "coffee"
The roots also are a gentle, effective laxative.
Even the white stem latex can be rubbed on warts to help rid the wart.
Now this lowly plant can't be all bad, can it?
Do your research before eating them, but these remedies were told to me by
a botanists that walked with me in the woods.
I often have thought if I got lost in the woods, I could enjoy a special meal of dandelions.
Here is a source for other edible flowers:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/EdibleFlowers/EdibleFlowersMain.htm
Thanks Vanessa for this link: http://afancifultwist.typepad.com/pastriesandsweets/
This little ray of sunshine I see in many neighbors lawns.
Really, it is my favorite color; so why are people trying to get rid of them?
They are cheerful and they shine.
Did you know you can eat them?
I am told that the leaves, either raw or cooked, are good for digestion.
The flowers cooked in food, wine, or a jelly are good for the liver and a hormone balancer.
The roots can be used for a vegetable or you can dry, grind, and use as a "coffee"
The roots also are a gentle, effective laxative.
Even the white stem latex can be rubbed on warts to help rid the wart.
Now this lowly plant can't be all bad, can it?
Do your research before eating them, but these remedies were told to me by
a botanists that walked with me in the woods.
I often have thought if I got lost in the woods, I could enjoy a special meal of dandelions.
Here is a source for other edible flowers:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/EdibleFlowers/EdibleFlowersMain.htm
Thanks Vanessa for this link: http://afancifultwist.typepad.com/pastriesandsweets/
I have seen people picking dandelions in large grassy areas and putting them in sacks to take home to eat. I would be fearful of animal [particularly dogs] excretions. But then maybe that's fertilizer! ;-)
ReplyDeleteWho would have known...I had no idea that they were useful and not just a weed...the gardener at my house attacks them also!
ReplyDeleteOh, so true. My family has used dandelions for many of the things you have listed. My grandmother frequently cooked up a kettle of dandelion greens when she'd visit. I don't have any dandelions in my lawn --- but I am carefully protecting some pretty ones who are growing in a planter with another plant. Hopefully the dandelion exterminator won't find it!
ReplyDeleteDandelions were originally not a weed, as people think they are. I myself look forward to the first dandelions! My father used to make dandelion wine. And the flower tastes really good itself. Throw some in a salad, greens, heads all is so good!
ReplyDeleteI love 'em. I'm sure my neighbors want to kick me out of the hood come spring when I let them go, but I do love 'em!
ReplyDeleteMy mother always scoffed at the neighbor that tried to kill the dandelions.... weeds to him... beautiful and vibrant plants to her... We always serve fresh tender healthy dandelion greens with our Easter dinner topped with a (not so healthy) hot bacon dressing. It's a spring tradition!
ReplyDeleteYour brought back memories of MILs dandelion salad. They are really a pretty little yellow flower. Wonder how decided they were weeds?
ReplyDeleteThey are such a cheerful color.
ReplyDeleteI do think they are a lovely flower..too bad they have such a bad reputation. Hope the sun is shining for you today.
ReplyDeleteThe Italian country folk, including my relatives, gather dandelion-type leaves from the fields and use them in salads or cook them in olive oil just like you do with spinach.
ReplyDeleteDandelions flowering on the lawn is a sure sign that Summer is about to appear - I love them too Marilyn.
ReplyDeleteTheir pure simplicity is what makes them so beautiful.
Little pieces of gold among the green grass.
Shane ♥
It won't be long before that sweet, little grandson of yours will pick the dandelions - with the shortest ever stems! - and you will see more beauty in them than every before!
ReplyDelete~Adrienne~
Dandelion in French means "teeth of the lion," so that alones suggests strength and goodness. I quite like dandelions!
ReplyDeleteI love it - your "live-in gardener", and guess what, I have one too, except he never had training and is inclined to step on new plant babies just poking through at this time of year - I get so mad! He's great at mowing and digging planting holes though!
ReplyDeleteWhat interesting dandelion facts and, like you, I love them, they are a spectacular color alongside violets at this time of year. I took a pic of some in a yard last week on my walk and thought how lovely they looked - and they give us the pretty seed heads later to blow away, like when we were children!
Love, Mary